Erdoğan's Next Steps
While his grip on power remains secure, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdoğan's handling of recent protests could threaten his Kurdish peace plan, damage his image in the Arab world, and complicate relations with the EU and the US. In other words, the protests' long-term impact will depend largely on Erdoğan himself.
https://prosyn.org/8EzeW2S
WASHINGTON, DC – Widespread demonstrations sparked by the Turkish government’s plan to build a mall and a replica of an Ottoman-era army barracks in Istanbul’s Gezi Park seem to have ebbed after Prime Minister Tayyip Recep Erdoğan met with the protesters’ representatives and, subsequently, ordered demonstrators to disperse. But, while the tear-gas fumes in Taksim Square may be dissipating, lingering questions about the protests there could have broader implications for Erdoğan’s agenda – and for Turkey’s political and social evolution.